The Disappearance of Marie
by becauseimgray
Summary: Marie has been taken and it is up to Stein to get her back! He must brave the quest before him while also discovering the secrets of Marie and Medusa's rivalry.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 ~ **The Appearance of the Doll  
>Marie was walking the corridors of Shibusen. The dark and gloomy cobble-stoned walls loomed around her, and as she walked about, she could see her shadow flicker with each new torch she would walk by. Scared, she followed the torch light, looking for a way out. She had gotten lost attempting to find her way to her office and was now stuck inside the depths of the school. As she walked, she heard rustling noises, unaware that they were following her. As she reached for a door, trying to find her way in the shadows, a chain grabbed onto her leg and she was stolen into the darkness, away from the flicker of the torches.<p>

* * *

><p>Stein was walking on campus, after stopping another fight between Black Star and Death The Kid. He was tired and needed a good turning of his head screw. He came up to his office, but something was mysteriously amiss. The door was open, a calm breeze pulling dust out and into the hallways. Walking up to it, he put his hand on the the door knob and opened the door, but slowly and with caution. Stein quickly jumped out of the way as a bucket of water came crashing down on the floor in front of him. He turned around with a scowl on his face that would have made any werewolf's heart turn silver with fright.<p>

Black Star, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the hallway directly behind Stein, exclaimed, "Oops, was that mine? A true assassin should learn to not misplace his ...er...buckets."

Stein turned all the way around and began to grin, angrily. Black star gulped. The students in the classroom next to Stein's office would never forget the screams they heard that day. Stein, now clear of the stupidity, began mopping up the water on floor. The mop he was holding was made of birch wood and it gave him some peace while cleaning up his office. He dipped the mop into the bucket one last time, making sure to get all the water out, and then he closed the door before sitting down at his desk. He began working on a new test subject for his studies, a fresh ostrich, still alive, but bound so tightly that it could not move...or squawk.

Stein reached for a utensil... (_"Hm...the screwdriver might be a good one...no no, the wrench..."_)

He looked around his office for a good cutting tool. He was going to remove a leg from this bird for a potion that would cure most illnesses. Around him were lots of old papers with different information on them. He pushed aside one with a description of different effects of brain cancer, and lifted another on the steps needed to prepare for surgery on the heart. He finally found the cutting tool lodged inside a filing cabinet. He was about to cut off the poor bird's leg when, suddenly, a loud knocking came at the door. Stein got up and recognized the blurry figure behind the door. It was Marie. Stein searched the room and stuffed the entire ostrich into a nearby cupboard. Then he prepped himself and opened the door. Marie stood there, smiling as usual, and allowed herself to enter. She gave Stein a small wink, and then sat down in front of Stein's desk.

"What brings you to my office, Marie-dear?" Stein inquired with a strangely sinister grin. He sat down heavily in his favorite rolling chair. He wondered why his ex-wife would even talk to him at all, other than to part ways.  
>"Oh, no reason, just felt like it..." She looked away, almost looking out of place. She took a lock of her blonde hair and twirled it around her index finger.<br>"Stop looking at me like that!" She said, stopping the playful act and reclining. Stein noted this new line of behavior, taking it in and continuing to stare at the lock of hair that she had released.  
>"I just found what you were doing...interesting."<br>"It's...awkward...could you please stop it?" Marie requested.  
>Stein just gave her a blank look, reached his hand up and turned the large grey bolt in his head. After it made a sharp ticking noise, he gave her a blank stare, like stopping wasn't even something he thought about usually. Then, almost as if he realized what she was asking, he stopped looking at her, and focused his attention on his computer screen.<br>"What do you _really_ want?" He asked after a few minutes had gone by. He looked over at Marie's seat, but she wasn't there.  
>"<em>You.<em>" Said a voice near his ear. Stein quickly looked behind him to see Marie stooping over him, her lips close to his ear. He darted left, his computer monitor falling backwards and off his desk. "W-what's come over you, Marie? What calls for this kind of delightful spirit?" Marie just shook her head, and began removing his lab coat. Stein tried to refuse it, pushing at her and kicking away at the woman, but to no avail. The madness had transferred to Marie, and Stein was no longer the insane person in the room. Stein, cackled, digging his teeth into Marie's shoulder and attempting to get away. Marie only used this struggling to remove his coat from his body. Only in a sweater and pants now, Stein began to loosen up and not struggle. He was getting tired from the pain. He looked into Marie's eyes trying to see some kind of love, some kind of hope, but nothing came to him. He was lost. Marie kissed his neck with her red lips, slowly reaching down and caressing his crotch with her fingers. Stein perked up at this sudden sexual desire, trying to move out of her grasp. Since he was still pinned down, he fell limp, and gave up to Marie's abnormal hormonal outbursts. Suddenly, there came a loud knocking at the door once again. Stein, looking over, saw a blurry figure with pigtails. It was Maka. Marie, understanding the situation, stuffed her hand into Stein's open mouth attempting to silence him. Stein bit down hard and blood came splurting out causing Marie to scream. Maka, hearing this, blew the door to pieces, and barged inside the room.  
>"What is going on here? Marie, is that you? Why is Stein so pale?" She looked at everything going on around her and then directly at Marie. "Why are you doing this?" She yelled.<br>Marie didn't answer, she just took one look at Maka and then melted into a pile of snakes.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 ~**The Disappearance of Marie.

Marie was trapped. There was no light around her and yet she could feel something gripping her hands. Chains. She struggled, but couldn't get loose. She looked down, supposedly where her feet should be if it weren't so dark, and she started to cry. She wiggled her toes in her socks and looked upwards, only to hear a whispering in her ear.  
><em>"Fear me."<em>

She screamed for a moment, recognizing the voice of the Kishin. She shook her head, and from as far she she could tell the Kishin was gone. Now frozen in fear, she looked around, looking for it. She looked all around her, and listened for the sound of breathing. Nothing. Standing, she began to walk, thinking that if she walked far enough she could find a way out.

"_Maybe there's a door or something."_ She thought to herself.

As she walked, she kept tripping, unable to find anything to grip onto, and unable to see the floor due to the darkness. It was freezing cold, and a chill kept running over her, almost like a clammy hand. She suddenly walked straight into a wall. Gathering herself, she tried to find any kind of crease or opening and her hands pushed up against wood. Eventually, she crouched down and found a doorknob. Marie was smart enough not to open the door though, instead she turned around, and pushed her hands up against it.

"_This door is too warm."_ She thought. _"It's probably the inside of a castle."_She thought about the situation for a good long while, and then pushed open the door with certainty...only to find more darkness. This strange feeling came over her...she was scared...to death. The warmth of the fireplace was there...she could feel the cobblestone floor...but her eyes...her eyes...they weren't there.

* * *

><p>Stein looked down at the pile of critters that was on his floor. They slithered and writhed, almost like they were in pain, but he knew better. He knew from experience that they were waiting for prey. He looked around and grabbed a spoon that was almost as tall as he was, scooped them up and threw them outside.<p>

Somewhere far below he heard, "What was _that_ for?" It was Black Star's voice.

Stein yelled, "Tell me what species of snakes those are for your homework!", then he slammed the windows shut and began thinking in the darkness. He pondered what could possibly have happened to Marie. _"Maybe she was being mind controlled...like a doll? No.. why would she turn into snakes then...?"_ After thinking some more, he decided he should go have some coffee. Getting out of his seat, he slammed right into Maka, who had been standing there the entire time.

"Ouch! Professor, what was that for? And what is with Marie, why did she turn into snakes?" Maka looked up at Stein, almost crying it seemed, but Stein knew Maka was tough and did not cry over trivial matters. He examined Maka's exterior. She was a pretty girl, only 17, and yet if she stood on the tips of her toes she might come up to his shoulders. He also noticed that she was in a summer outfit, the kind that's color-coded blue and white so as to give a positive and formal look to match the seasonal change.

He gave her a crooked grin and said, "She needed some time off, anyway." He then rushed out of the room, leaving Maka with a disturbed look on her face.

Before she could fully collect herself, however, Stein popped his head back into the room and said, "Oh, and can you fix this mess? I'd like to have an office door when I get back to my ostrich." Stein then darted back down the hall, leaving Maka nodding. Then she froze up, realizing what Stein had just said.  
>"Ostrich?" She said aloud.<p>

* * *

><p>Stein needed some help, so he began walking down the corridors of the school towards Death's Observatory. The doors to the Observatory were decorated like the stars, and as Stein opened the doors and walked inside, he had to shade his eyes from the light. The Observatory magnified the Heavens tenfold, and only Death could stand the heat of the lights because of the mask he wore. He stood in the middle of the room, observing the giant magnified Saturn. Stein pulled a small bony mask out of his lab coat and quickly put it on as he came into direct contact with the magnified version of the Sun. Now, he could freely walk around the room without having problems with his vision. He walked up to Lord Death and poked him on the shoulder.<p>

Death turned around and exclaimed "Oh no! Who are you? Please don't _hurt_ me!" and then backed against the wall. Stein, accustomed to this reaction, only said "You never change, sir." and then held out his hand to help him up.

The Lord of Death didn't accept it, and just jumped up and happily said, "Oh, it's just _you_ Stein!" He looked almost pleased to know that Stein was here, if anyone. Stein only grimaced at the Shinigami, and then looked down, almost too shy to talk about what was ailing him.

He then looked back up and at the God of Death and asked him the question. "Where is Marie?"

Death looked up and at Stein, almost expecting that exact accusation. He tilted his head to the side, looking suddenly troubled. "...I don't know." He looked at Stein through the mask and whispered, "I do know that you may find more information in the Library." He then turned around and promptly exclaimed, "Now get yourself _out_ of here! We can't have unattentive teachers running around the halls, now _can_ we?"

Stein grinned and then left the Observatory, closing the door and allowing the darkness to flow back into the room, and surround the Lord of Death.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3** ~ The Battle And The Snakes.

Death the Kid was walking down the steps of Shibusen, thinking about his rivalry with Black Star. He knew he would win eventually if he just had the aid of the Thompson sisters' new abilities. His head ached just thinking of the stupidity that Black Star gave off.

At that exact moment, above him, Black star was sitting on a building, attempting to fix his hair. The blue dye was running out and his hair was reverting to its original color. Tsubaki, holding his hair straight, was blushing shyly, attempting not to laugh at the situation.

Death the Kid noticed this and continued walking on...when suddenly some dye dropped on his side. He stopped. Then he burst out angrily, "What the fuck? Do you know how much it _takes_ to make this suit perfectly symmetrical? How _dare_ you get your _ugly_ unsymmetrical hair color on my_ lovely _symmetrical jacket!"

Black Star, not even noticing Death the Kid, just continued working on his hair, and Tsubaki waved shyly at Kid. Death the Kid, getting pissed off, ran into the building and jammed his finger on the UP button for the elevator. He tapped his foot as he waited, annoyed that the elevator was taking too long. Then he looked over at the elevator doors and read the sign. It said "_Out of Order._" Kid got furious as he slammed open the door to the stairs and climbed them, stomping with each step. Kid slammed open the door to the roof, stomping outside, and was about to yell at Black Star but stopped...falling over and laughing as hard as he could. Black Star had straightened out all of his hair, so it was long and lengthy. It was a bright shade of blonde with small amounts of blue tint still left over from the previous dyeing. Death the Kid, overcome with laughter, had lost all of his anger, and instead just continued laughing, trying not too hurt himself.

"What do _you_ want?" asked Black Star, still unaware of what was going on. Death the Kid looked up, attempting to be serious, but ended up breaking into a contorted combination of a grimace and a smile.

"I'm...here to challenge..you ..." He said, trying not to break into laughter again.

"I accept." Black Star said, whipping his glistening hair back to glare at Kid. Laughing his ass off, Kid jumped off the building and began walking back to Shibusen, ready for the battle. After a moment of prepping, Black Star, his hair back to normal, walked up the last bit of stairs to Shibusen and stomped his way to the opposite side of the academy's grounds.

Death the Kid stared his opponent down, looking for an opening. Black Star had already figured out a strategy however and he dashed boldly at Death the Kid.

Kid wasn't ready! He jumped up and began to formulate a plan, but Black Star was too quick, he flash-stepped and appeared behind Kid. Before Kid could react, he felt a sharp force in his spine and he quickly fell to the ground, defeated. Black star came up to Kid and was about to make the finishing blow, when suddenly a large pile of snakes promptly slapped him in the face.

* * *

><p>The snakes Stein threw slid off Black Star's face and hit the pavement below. They slithered slowly and began wiggling their way towards the city, but unfortunately they met a obstacle before they were able to make it all the way. Patty, who had been walking around the campus at the time noticed these snakes and quickly grabbed them up, hugging them into a strangled hold.<p>

"Oh my _God_, you are so freaking _cute_!" she screamed, taking them with her, and into Shibusen. The snakes writhed as they were compressing onto Patty's chest, attempting to get away. Patty burst into her room and grabbed a rope from a table near her bed. She forced the snakes together and tied them up into a bow. She placed them on a small chair and began serving tea.

"Careful, 'cuz this tea is really _hawt_!" she happily yelled at the snakes. Pouring all the tea on top of them, she completely missed the teacup. The snakes burnt and screeched as the tea ran down over them but they couldn't get loose. Patty served cakes and smashed the cake into the snakes' general mouth area, completely missing. Covered in hot tea and cake, the snakes writhed and wiggled, trying to get loose, but to no avail. Patty, happy as could be, untied them and placed them in a doll house and began making them kiss Ken. She attempted to get them into bed with Barbie, but she couldn't seem to make them fit and stay still. Patty, now mad at the fact that her snakes seemed overall useless, promptly tossed them out the window. They hit the pavement, yet again, and this time they fell into the path of Lizzie, the other Thompson sister.

As the sister stepped on one of the snakes, she looked down at the strange slimy object that she was touching, and screamed, "Aaaah, snakes! Someone _save_ meeee!" She fled the scene in tears, leaving the snakes smothered, burnt, and stepped upon, lying in the middle of Shibusen. The snakes, feeling let down, slithered out of Shibusen and into the city. They slithered between some cracks, falling down into the dark depths of the ancient underground, and following the scent of other snakes, found their Mistress.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**~ The Secret in the Library

Stein was on a mission. He was going to ask the Librarian for a book on the subconscious. To find out more about Marie, he needed to know exactly what spell the doll was made from. He opened the large doors to the library, smelling the dust exit the large open room and then swiftly walked in, his coat trailing behind him. He went up to the Librarian and inquired about books on the mind. He was pointed towards a shelf, and he quickly went over and picked up a large pile of books. He browsed through some titles, "_The Mouse's Brain and What They Like to Eat.,_" "_The Secrets to Dining on Brain Tumors._", and "_The Mind: Stupidity Examined._" Stein didn't find anything in these books, surprisingly enough, and decided he would try a different topic. He went back and found a book called _"Snakes, Venom, and the Magics That Come With Them."_

He flipped through a few pages, and then found the page he needed. "The front jaws of the Sliver snakes' venom have the ability to create a person, but only if part of that person's senses are taken first." Stein read this passage aloud, thinking about it, and then it dawned on him.

He ripped the page out, but not before the Librarian turned around and said, "Sir, that will be one-hundred dollars for ruining that book." Stein gave him a glare and then quickly stuffed it into his coat pocket. He then ran out of the library, but not before giving the Librarian a small check. It didn't matter to him though, because he knew exactly where Marie was.

* * *

><p>Marie walked the room she was in, bewildered. She tried to feel where her eyes should have been, but to no avail. She was lost, blind, and cold. There was no way she could get out of this, just no possible way. She walked forward, stumbling, crying, and attempting to find her way...and then she ran into someone. She put her hands to the form, trying to define the person's shape. The person had short hair, and a small coat...she couldn't make out a gender, but he seemed to be male. Fingers grabbed her, pulling off the chains binding her hands together. She screamed, pulling away out of pure terror, but the force was strong...and wet? It was a weird feeling, almost like water. She tried to get away, scared that she was being drowned, but the shape spoke.<p>

"_Do not struggle. This situation I can handle, if it is what my Mistress wants."_

Marie stopped struggling, but wondered who on earth "Mistress" was supposed to be. She felt the now vocal shape tug on her, as if it wanted her to walk with it. She complied, not being able to do much else. As she walked, she tried to think of a way to escape. _"Maybe there is a window I could jump out of...although I don't even know how high up I am. I could go splat if I don't think about it. Maybe I could somehow attack this person, supposedly leading me somewhere...but where?"_ She wasn't able to finish thinking, because she suddenly heard a door open and then she felt very cold._ "This...is my cell."_ The strange form said.

"_Well, now I know you're not safe or legal."_ Marie thought to herself. She tried to make the best of her situation by sitting somewhere, but only managed to fall on her butt, feeling a sharp pain in her tailbone. She was able to scoot into a corner and cuddle herself, cold and sad. She cried. Where was she? What was she going to do now that she was blind?

"_I am unsure of what my mistress would want me to do in this situation." _The strange figure said.

Marie, crying, looked up. "Well...strange..figure...perhaps you could let me go?" she said, sobbing.

"_No...t-t-that is not an option I can t-t-take. My mistress...Medusa...she would not allow such a thing...I..I should be able to deal with this..."_

Marie felt a chill run down her spine and asked, "Did you say... Medusa?"


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5 **~ Excalibur's Debut

Stein raced through the halls of Shibusen, giving students dirty looks and evil grins wherever he felt necessary, and trying to dodge questions about next week's assignments. He bounced out of the doors of the school, dashing out of the courtyard, and into the streets of the city. Searching frantically, he darted down an alleyway, turning at the next block. He started wondering if he remembered the way into the underground as he searched his memories for any kind of link...but, nothing. He was lost and he couldn't remember the way.

"Hey you _fool_!" A strange voice came from behind him. Stein turned around to find the source, but didn't see anything. A sudden jabbing of a white stick in his face made him look down, and there he saw probably the worst thing he could see walking down the streets of the city. Excalibur, in all his pathetic glory, was standing below him and obviously wanted attention.

Stein groaned. "Not now, you moron."  
>"Moron? I think <em>not<em>! I am the highest grade of _being_, you fool!" The creature exclaimed, getting quite fussed over being called such a name.

"Yes. Yes...I don't have time for this..." Stein ignored Excalibur, searching for a way down.  
>"Time? Timeeee? Do you understand who I am, sir? I am <em>Excalibur<em>! My legend dates back to the 12th Century. I am as professional at time as anyone can _be_!" Excalibur proudly claimed, directing his cane at the Professor.

Stein just ignored him. He started walking away, down another alley.

Excalibur promptly slapped Stein in the ass with his cane. "Wrong way."

Stein looked behind him at the annoying white reincarnated sword. "Excuse me?"  
>"I <em>said<em>...wrong way." Excalibur looked at Stein with his blank stare.  
>"So..what would the <em>right <em>way be, if you are so smart?" Stein looked at him, scowling gravely.

"Sing for me." Excalibur continued with his blank stare.

"What? No!" Stein started to get mad. He would not sing for such a ..thing.

"Sing my song and I will tell you the way."  
>Stein scowled...and then burst into song. "...Excalibur...Excalibur...from United King...This is stupid!" Stein, raging, yelled at Excalibur.<p>

Excalibur just continued to stare. "_Louder_." he said.  
>Stein growled and then continued, "I'm...looking for him...I'm going to California...Happy <em>now<em>?"  
>Excalibur nodded, tapped the grate below him, and said "That is Underground. Bye-bye." He then darted off quickly into the shadows.<br>Stein scowled. This. was. _annoying_! He stared at the dark grate, scratching his head. "Underground? What? What did you_ mean_ you pathetic animal!" he yelled at the sky.

Excalibur poked his nose out of the shadows and whispered, "Go down fool."  
>Stein looked at the spot where Excalibur's long protruding nose had been before looking back down at the grate. "Oh." he said, simply, and then taking some gloves out of his pockets, he slowly removed the grate, and slid down into the deep murky abyss.<p>

Stein walked through the sewers, which were covered in a sticky substance he couldn't recognize. It was brown and green and he didn't dare smell the air, because he could already tell it wasn't sanitary. Eventually, Stein came upon a door. It was made of birch wood, and had toxic waste covering its edges. Stein slowly pushed it open, his gloves melting away in patches at the process, and stepped into a small corridor under Shibusen. He looked around him and saw a small door down the hallway. He rushed towards it and grabbed the handle, but it was locked. Stein, not easily defeated, took a step back and rammed his weight into the door. It wouldn't budge, so Stein took off his melted gloves, put them away in his pockets, and then slammed his hand into the door. Electricity crackled and shards of wood went flying. Stein walked through the smoke and dust, coughing, and came into a large, empty, underground courtyard. In front of him, a large metal door loomed and was lost in the darkness above. He took a step near it, but realized something was off. The large door was open, and a breeze could be felt.

"Shit." Stein cussed, running at the door. He threw it open, trying to see in the darkness, but he was blown back by a sudden force. He landed heavily, struggling to rise.

The Kishin, strong and powerful, wrapped his fingers around Stein's neck, his tongue curling around his head, ready to kill. Stein, laughed crazily, and attempted to get free, but he couldn't find any strength. The fear from seeing the Kishin was too much, and as he sat there, the Kishin began curling his tongue around Stein's head. He could feel teeth inserting themselves into his grey hair, and the smell of its breath on his face.  
><em>"Am I going to die?" <em>Stein heard the voice, and realized it was coming from his own mouth. He saw himself with Marie in his mind, sitting in a small grove. He stood up next to her, not sure of what to say. He took her hand and repeated the question, _"Am I going to die?"_

Marie shook her head and pushed him, causing his body to fall backward into the small pool of water behind him. A sudden jolt from reality kicked him out of this strange dream, and he felt adrenaline rush into his system. He put his hand on the Kishin's chest. The Kishin growled, and then looked down at Stein's hand. It had time to gulp before being blown into several pieces of flesh. Stein laughed as the blood disappeared. It had been an illusion.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6** ~ Marie's Story.

Marie, trapped in her cell, repeated the words of her captor. "M-Medusa?" She was almost scared, although she could not find the reason why. Medusa was dead...she knew it, her team had defeated her, years ago...  
><em>"H-how do you know my mistress's name?" <em>The captor spoke, addressing Marie's outburst. Marie, frightened, did not reply. She was too afraid of what might happen if she did. A slow, scraping noise could be heard that Marie identified as her captor standing up. She shivered.

"_What's going to happen to me? Will they kill me now that I know who they work for?"_ She thought to herself, imagining the possibilities.

Her captor stood over her and said, _"What do you know of Medusa-sama?" _

Marie, surprised by this sudden change in movement, tilted her blinded face in the direction of her kidnapper. "I know...when she was younger...my team...defeated her." She dropped her head, almost shy toward the person asking her about her past.

"_Tell me...more?"_ the captor asked.

Marie, surprised, lifted her head and said, "Sit down. It's a long story."

* * *

><p>Stein was a little boy. He was walking down the corridors of Shibusen, looking for a door to his class. Even though he was top of his class, his mind sometimes went off onto strange tangents. Once or twice, his mind would settle on a weird kind of idea, like taking apart his teacher limb by limb until he was just a body and a head. Stein chuckled whenever he thought of these things, but it only made him seem more sadistic. Stein was pretty self-conscious, and he refused to allow himself to look too "crazed." Suddenly, a strange girl came running from a corridor, turned, and hit Stein full in the chest. Stein looked down, wondering how such a small girl could be in Shibusen.<p>

"Are you lost little girl? Do you need help finding the K-12 part of Shibusen?" He asked politely.  
>"Psh! Why would I ask help from some Freshman, like yourself." She replied, with a smart-ass tilt of her head.<br>Stein gave her a sneer. "What _grade_ are you in?" he asked, wondering how such a young girl could be making him seem immature for simply being there.  
>"Psh! I'm a Junior, you pathetic moron. Now get of my way, you're ruining my perfect attendance record."<p>

Stein, bewildered, put his hand on her head. "No. Apologize to me." Suddenly, something came over Stein. Madness rushed through him, and, without meaning too, he blurted out: "Mistress."  
>Medusa just smiled, almost viciously, and walked around Stein, cackling as she turned the corner.<p>

* * *

><p>"Medusa," Marie began, "was always a troublemaker, even as a little girl."<p>

The person who had locked her away sighed, sounding almost depressed by the mention of Medusa.  
>"She knew Stein pretty well, even though they only met once or twice. I used to hang out with her, but only during lunch hours." Marie began getting uncomfortable explaining her past to this stranger, as normally she wouldn't even tell her best friends about this. "At some point...and I don't think she'd planned it...Medusa...I guess...developed feelings for Stein..." Marie almost blushed at this, getting flustered. She didn't like that topic. "Medusa...and I...were rivals from that point on." She turned red. She didn't need eyes to know she looked like a tomato at that point.<p>

The stranger only sighed again, sounding nervous now.  
>"We had a mission, which was to capture and defeat a Witch. Basically, it was our last soul, after collecting 99 souls, and I was finally going to become a Death Scythe for Stein to use in battles."<br>_"So...what happened?" _The stranger suddenly spoke. He sounded impatient, and Marie felt the urge to speed up.  
>"Well, in our original team, it was Spirit-kun, Stein, and I...but...Medusa wanted to come along. We couldn't refuse. She was a favorite of the death god, Shinigami-sensei."<br>_"What did you do in that...kind of situation? I would not be able to handle such a task, I don't think..." _The stranger began, sounding more nervous.  
>Marie kind of felt bad for her captor. She didn't know who it was, but she could tell whomever it was had a lot of problems.<br>"Well...this is how it went down..." Marie began telling the story, explaining in detail just how the events happened. "Our mission was simple." she said. "All we had to do was enter the Witch's lair. A small village nearby had let us in on information about a Witch that liked to play near the pond. Supposedly, at the bottom of the pond, we would find her." Marie scratched her head, trying to remember the details. "When we got to the pond, the only sign that something was different was the smell. It smelled of burnt animal. Stein was studying the water by dipping his hand in it, and Spirit was walking around sniffing the flowers, almost in a daze." Marie got red, as she explained what happened next, "I really don't like mentioning this part, but Medusa had the nerve to walk up to Stein and begin some kind of conversation with him. I'm not sure what they were talking about, but somehow he ended up kissing her on the lips!" Marie was clenching her fists, blushing bright red now, pissed off by the memory. "Then, Medusa dove into the pond and started swimming out to the middle." Marie said, remembering the events. "Eventually, Stein jumped into the pond and swam after her, but for some reason both of them disappeared, as if they were dragged underwater. Spirit and I, freaked out by having our friends missing, immediately dove in after them." Marie was now quite flustered now, the story agitating her and making her wish for a break.

"_You can t-take a breather...I'm just trying to go over your p-problems in my h-head..."_ The stranger said.

Marie complied.

* * *

><p>Stein dipped his hand in the murky waters of the pond, feeling it run through his fingers. He imagined it was blood, dripping from his enemies, and that made him smile. Medusa, now older, but still quite a young girl, came up to him and tried to get his attention.<p>

"Hey dumb-fuck, stop feeling up the piss in this pond and look at me!" She yelled at him.  
>Stein looked up, annoyed at this brat's attitude towards his studies. "What do you want? Do you want me to dissect you on the spot for such demeaning language?"<br>Medusa just glared at him and said, "No. I want you to look at me, that's all."

She almost looked mad, but Stein knew better. This was just her way of communicating. He had learned that the hard way when, one time at lunch, Medusa was working part time as a server in the Cafeteria. When Stein asked for the usual lunchmeat, he was greeted with insults and crude humor, mixed in with a few sex jokes.  
>Stein, looking up, asked, "What would the shit-machine want with me?"<p>

Medusa sneered, almost laughing at his pathetic attempt to insult her, and then followed up with, "...Kiss me."  
>Stein broke into laughter. "KISS YOU? WHAT?" Stein couldn't contain his laughter. It was just too funny that Medusa, one of the biggest assholes he'd ever encountered, would want him to kiss her.<br>"I ...I'm serious dammit..." Stein stopped laughing as a single tear ran down Medusa's blushing face.  
>"Okay. I'll kiss you, but only if it'll make you stop looking like a pathetic wuss."<p>

Medusa, happy by this sudden compliance, leaned in, her lips forming into a pursed shape. Stein, not enjoying this, leaned in as well. Their lips bumped and they both recoiled. Quickly recovering, they tried again, but Stein saw out of the corner of his eye, Marie, glaring in his direction. He broke away, trying to gather himself as Medusa leered at him for a good solid minute, then jumped in the pond and swam away.

Stein, still in a slight daze, looked out at the pond and began to daydream. He thought,_ "Medusa's lips felt nice. I wonder, if I take a knife, could I possibly remove them for later studies?"_ He pondered on this for a while, but then Medusa was suddenly pulled underwater. Snapped out of his thoughts, Stein was quick to act. He jumped in the water, diving down to try and rescue Medusa.  
>Meanwhile, above the water, Marie was trying to wrap her mind around what she had just witnessed when a sudden yell from Spirit snapped her out of the daze. She jumped up and dove in with Spirit, ready to rescue the love of her life.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**~ Two Timely Rescues.

Stein, recovering from the illusion, got up and onto his feet. He was shaking from the event, and his mind was reeling. He kept seeing doubles, and his mind was going nuts with ideas and concepts. _"Should I kill myself? Am I worth being? Perhaps when I find Marie I will...maybe if I cut open Maka and feed bits of her to seagulls..."_ All kinds of ideas floated around in Stein's mind, ranging from suicidal, to sexual, to even crazier, more sadistic concepts. As the illusion's side effects began to wear off, Stein began to cool down and he slowly made his way toward the large open doors.

He put his hand on the door and pulled, dragging it across the stone floor. It made a loud, creaking noise as he did this, and he could hear it reverberate through the halls behind him.

**To be Continued...**


End file.
